Between a rock and a soft spot

Sometimes it doesn't pay much to get out of bed in the morning. Actually the pay is usually a strong cup of coffee and a stale danish. Whatever.

It seems like my karma has gone bad, flipped out and crawled under a rock. A slippery rock. I had this awesome stone/gem and it was olive green in color and I have forgotten the correct name of this rock/gem but I distinctly remember that the rock hound said it brings wealth and good fortune. I need those two items.

I was pondering the fact that perhaps this was a myth or a I had collected a defective stone/gem or an oddball rock hound. My sister informed me that I needed to cleanse my GEM to obtain all the benefits it held. So I left my gem outside to be cleansed by the sun and the moon. After two days of cleansing I took my precious gem and placed it right next to my heart. For three days I walked the earth with that uncomfortable rock right inside my sports bra. The things people will do.

That very weekend hubby and I cleaned the garage with no help from the sun or the moon. And what did I find but a bag of coins. Dimes and nickels about $9.00 worth. I had hit the mother load. So now I am on a roll and decided to cleanse my gem a little more before I purchased the Powerball ticket. For some strange and mysterious reason my rock/gem has disappeared from the face of the earth. It's gone-gone-gone and so are my chances for obtaining my wealth. Life is tough and then you misplace your rocks.

Raindrops are falling on the road

The monsoons hit yesterday with a bang. The pool was very close to overflowing, the backyard was a giant mud puddle and the hose to the washing machine burst and flooded the garage. It was a wet and wild day. Driving was near impossible in the downpour.

The car in front of me stopped on a dime and in my daydream state of not being fully alert I slammed on the brakes and came to an instant stop even in the rain. At that very instant I looked up into the rear view mirror and watched my tailgater as they could not come to an instantaneous stop. Their attempt at stopping pulled their SUV into the center of the road. I'm thanking my lucky stars about that center lane.

The scary part is the SUV came to an abrupt stop right next to my vehicle. Feeling nervous and a little miffed I kept my head held straight on and only moved my eyes to look at the SUV parked right next to me. I'm thinking (too early on the morning for that stuff) if not for that center lane that SUV would be in my trunk and quite possible in my back seat. And where would I be? Out the window.

I whisper thank you's to myself but still want to pass the evil eye to the driver of the SUV. Driving the roads is a dangerous hobby and one has to be conscious of the other wild drivers. I can't say - "What if?"

Today the rain has become a drizzle but I will drive to work with a better awareness of the other wackos on the road. And just because one drives a big ash SUV that guzzles way too much gas (who can afford that) it doesn't mean you have great driving skills and you have control of that giant box. The baby car handled impressively.

The Rain will explain

The rain falls mainly on top of my head as I walk around the back yard in the dark of this rainy Monday morning. In my nightgown. I was surely not expecting this downpour - although we need it and so do my plants at school. I won't have to spend and hour watering them.

So, of all the mornings why won't the dogs get their business done ASAP. No - nope -nada!!!!! They do this to me to push me over the edge of the cliff that I cling to with both hands. Cliff climbing or hanging on to for my life is not one of my strong points. Neither is wandering around the backyard at 4 AM in my flimsy nightie waiting for the dogs to take a pee.

No need to take a morning dip in the pool because I am currently soaking-sopping wet. Have the dogs done their duty? No.......How many times will this take for just a little tinkle from them and then the big one? I am more concerned with the big one than the tinkles. Our schedule is off.

Monday morning begins with a bang or more precisely a damp and dreary atmosphere. Why is this morning rain such a mystery to me? Oh yeah hubby had the T.V. on basketball games all day - so no news. I'm needing a T.V. in the computer room.

Way down upon the Suwanee River

I just added another location to my bucket list. It's my short bucket list - the things I will really accomplish before I die. I have the DEEP bucket list but that's mainly for wishing and dreaming and idling away the time on a dull day. Not that I have many dull days in my life. Always seem to be busy-busy-busy.
This awesome looking place is actually one of Florida's marvelous state parks. It is on the Suwanee River and there are rapids. In Florida on a river. How cool can that be????????

So, needless to say I am so-so excited about traipsing up to the northern part of the state to view these rapids. Although I was just there last week and knew nothing about these rapids. Another time - and soon.

I've been flipping through the Florida book on state parks and my imagination is rolling away from me. So many beautiful and awesome places to visit and enjoy. Steven Foster you should have visited Florida.

Attack of the Crows

I walk the dogs in the early morning - in the dark. (time change) It's not something I feel entirely comfortable doing but - you gotta do what you gotta do. The little darlings need their exercise.

I arrived at the second intersection and heard a crow squawking fiercely. I'm not a big fan of crows. They be ugly and loud with no class. I ignored the commotion. We walked on determined to get our business done. The loud screeching seemed to follow us. One streetlight was out.

All of a sudden I heard a thump. I looked back over my shoulder and their on the burnt out lamppost sat the crow. Screeching at the top of his lung capacity. I began to feel a little uneasy and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. I searched for a stick lying on the ground to defend myself and the buddies. Nothing.

I had flashbacks of the Alfred Hitchcock movie - 'The Birds.' I was getting really-really creeped out. The squawking continued at a frantic pace and so did the stalking. Next time I will bring something besides the tissue stuck in my waistband for doggie droppings.

Should I turn around? Run for the hills? Wait - no hills in Florida. Here I was dressed in dark clothing in the dark of the morning and I surely didn't stand out like a sore thumb. The doggies on the other hand are light in color with neon doggie vest. Now I am sure that caught the crows attention. Did he think his breakfast was walking down the sidewalk in the early morning darkness? Wish I had a stick, slingshot or perhaps a B.B. gun.

I picked up my pace and headed for home. I certainly did not want to end up a statistic of a crow attack. And I didn't want the flying monster to take off with one of my little ones. Dog walking in the dark is a dangerous occupation. Maybe I could buy a treadmill for their exercise.

Mooncusser's

Recently I read a book with the setting in Cape Cod and they talked about the 'mooncussers'. I had never heard of 'mooncussers'. My neighbor asked me if I was going to take pictures of the special full moon - so I did.

Mosquito's were out that night in mega numbers - sucking away at my precious blood. But the beauty of the moon prevailed and the skeeters became a trivial aspect. I was on a roll - of film. LOL. Actually I have a digital camera.

The moon slowly popped from behind the mass of trees and lit up the night sky like the Fourth of July. She was huge and had orange tones that were warm and pulsating. She rose above the tree lines at a snails pace and hung effortlessly in the night sky sending soft shadows down upon us.

There is something about the moon and the ambiance she pursues. I thought about the 'mooncussers' pilfering ships that had crashed along the shores so many moons ago. She was like a beacon shining the light upon the wealth for the scavengers to plunder.

I watched her in all her splendor as she rose higher into the night sky and glared defiantly back at me - saying look at me and all that I am. I felt a calmness wash over me and surround me. The moon is a mysterious force that leads our minds to far away places and swaddles us in joy.

Serenity Now

The water she calls to me - pulling ever closer - surrounding me with contentment and feelings of happiness. There is something about the water that is so soothing and relaxing that it is almost indescribable. It's like elixir in a bottle. I love the water.

Yesterday we took the visiting family to Tarpon Springs and sailed out to Anclote Key. One of my favorite places but then again I have so many. Peace, beauty and solitude awaited us and we enjoyed every minute of it.

On our wonderful and exciting travels yesterday we hit the tourist gift shops. One of my favorite pastimes even though I am not a tourist in Florida but we had tourist relatives with us. We stopped in this one (mostest tackiest) and I spotted magnetic jewelry. I have heard about the healing properties of magnetic jewelry. It heals, it balances - basically it cures all evils and ills. My sister-in-law and I bought it - hook - line and sinker, a big heavy sinker. What the hey we were on a mission.

I chose the ankle bracelet. It was light weight, magnetic and it only cost $5.99. My sister-in-law went for the smartly colored bracelet. Then, we pondered getting one for each limb but thought we would wait and see if the gems really worked.

Through our discussion right in front of the cashier he snickered. Probably not a good sign - then again he most likely thought we were just tourists.

This morning after I awoke bright and early from the sofa sleeper my foot hurt a bit. The foot that now housed the magnetic anklet. As I'm sitting in the tub trying to alleviate the pains of sofa bed sleeping I looked down at my foot. OMG!!!! A bruise the size of the state of Florida was pulsing from my right ankle. The ankle that was proudly displaying the new magnetic cure all jewelry. I think my sister-in-law and I were taken.

Evil Eye

Last night at the Greek Festival - I purchased my 'Evil Eye' earrings. And for some odd-strange reason the blue ones just jumped out at me and said -BUY ME. They had other colors of Evil Eye but I only had eyes for the blue ones. Actually hubby bought them as I had left my life savings at home. Thank you sweetie - you have forever saved me from the Evil Eye.

I had never seen Evil Eye jewelery before so I was intrigued. Now since my Evil Eye education I realize the blue ones are the best. Good choice.

Info I found on the Evil Eye.

It's believed that there are three types of evil eyes
The first are unconscious evil eyes. These harm people and things, without intending to. The second type intends to harm. The third one is unseen, hidden evil which is the most scared one.

It was believed that, this eye saw all the wickedness in the world and removed poverty and ignorance. When Horus opened its eyes the world was enlightened, when he closed, it became dark. From Egypt, the eye talisman had spread to the Mediterranean, Middle East and Europe.
The bead reflects the evil intent back to the onlooker. It somewhat resembles an eye and it is said the typical blue color is a factor in protecting the user.

Paint My World - Happy

One week or 5 working days till Spring Break. YEHAW-YAHOO-HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A needed respite away from the toil of the mind and all that other junk that goes along with school - especially lunch duty.......

I need to get to my happy place and soak up all the giddiness and pretty thoughts. Life can be ugly at times. But this morning as I sit outside on this awesome-gorgeous-beautiful morning sipping my Butter Toffee coffee I am enjoying the solitude. The sky to the East is painted vibrant pinks and soft blues. The sun is beginning to make his entrance and shards of light are mixing with the pink clouds.

Today Nettie comes home from her doctor visit and we all will be glad to see her. It has been a quiet place here without her puppiness engulfing us. Russ will no longer be top dog in the house and will have to share his toys, rawhide and all the affection that has been lavished upon him.

The pink of the sky is now becoming a light orange color like the tender pulp inside a cantaloupe as the sun begins the wake-up call. Time to begin the day and think about all the good things in life that are at my fingertips. Like more coffee......